markcincinnati

I can't imagine the target customer for the X7 would think of looking at a Q8, once the alleged Q9 comes out, well, sure. The Q8's that seem to have hit the sweet spot are P+ models (and a lot of them have the Yr-1 package). So equipped, these come in under $80K. I'm hardly suggesting an $80K car is not in the Premium class, but I have to assume the Q8 is targeted at a consumer who is looking to eschew the "box" SUV look of the Q7, X5, and now, apparently, X7. I would assume the Q9 (if and when) will be a larger, more lux Q7.

It is true that a Q8 can certainly be optioned into the 90's -- our dealer says the Q8 PREMIUM (not PLUS) is VERY "sellable" -- and despite the crappy sound system in that model, is going to find itself having a fairly short shelf life on a dealer's lot.

Doc H

My current Q7s are optioned close to $90k, ordered to spec, and that will be about what I'm looking at next (likely not the X7 though). If I'm going to spend over $70k for a car, I want the tech that goes with it. Might be a Q8 if the value proposition is there: time will tell.

markcincinnati

In our market such a vehicle at $90K would probably be a Porsche. Q7s rarely get too deep into the $70s, and even more rarely into the $90s. I'm not saying they can't be or aren't configured up to the $90s, but our market (SW OH) probably sees lots of $70K+ Q7s go out the door, a few less in the $80s and rarely in the $90s. At that point, it seems that the customers go to Porsche, of course, owned by the same "family" that owns one of the two Audi dealers. Now, however, the Q8 customers seem to have a "pain threshold" about $10K higher. At present, there is no Cayenne that quite matches the "stance" and sex appeal of the Q8. For at least 15 minutes, the Q8 is the Cayenne Porsche wishes it had -- but in 16 minutes, there will be a Porsche that will, no doubt, be shopped against a loaded Q8 (at $90K).

Doc H

Hard to tell, because everything Porsche is extra, but a similarly equipped Cayenne to my Q7s is $105k+. That's more than pocket change for equivalent tech, performance aside, so if a Q8 is roughly $10k more than a sister Q7, and a Cayenne is $10k more than that, I'd have to be in love with dancing horses to see the value equation favorably for Porsche...

critter6835

I cross shopped the new Cayenne. We even got one for a week while our GT3 was in the shop. I really disliked the interior. Some of that was just because it was a base loaner Cayenne but the integration Audi has done is much better IMO. I wasn't totally put off though and configured a Cayenne and Cayenne S and they were 20-30K more when equipped like the Q8 I ended up ordering. Definitely no value in it for me especially since I think the exterior and interior of the Q8 look better. Potentially in the future if there is a new Cayenne GTS I might be won over as the GTS models always look more aggressive and the new Panamera GTS got a twin turbo V8 so imagine the Cayenne will get that engine as well.

markcincinnati

I completely agree. Although we are die-hard Audi mavens, we did (twice) consider the Macan vs the SQ5 (Prestige with a few added options) and we kept looking all around in the Macan for a stash of cash that would justify the Porsche's much higher price (hence in our speak: lower value prop). The thing is, for some (perhaps many), Porsches are "worth" every penny and those who are loyal to Porsches tend to look at Audis perhaps as "slumming" (not literally, but the thought of going downstream to an Audi after being a Porsche owner/driver is a thing.) When we test drove a relatively low contented Macan that was over $65K we did like it. But we were comparing it to an SQ5 Prestige with options which came in at less than $65K. We simply couldn't justify it.

Probably a class thing. As in both my wife and I grew up in the late 50's -- and we both hailed from lower-middle-class households. Somehow that has instilled in us a "look for value" ethic -- much as I like and sometimes even love Porsches they just seem priced more for their "crest" than for their content. These are OPINIONS that are, I would argue, derived from the experiences and lessons learned during our first 18 years of life. When I got my first Audi 5000 (in 1977), I did so because the car I wanted at the time, a BMW, was so much more expensive than the Audi when comparably contented. Later, I looked at what was called a 944 Turbo and also what was called an Audi Coupe (with the 5-cylinder engine) -- again, although I had reached an income level where I could afford the Porsche, it just seemed overpriced for its content.

This has translated to Audi after Audi after Audi since I have found them "pound for pound" "dollar for dollar" to have a strong value proposition. I worked in the 80's and 90's in a high-tech firm and due to the Y2K "alarms" we, in that field, all made stupid money and just as soon as the big checks started coming in, the parking lot filled up with BMWs. Being, then, one of the sheep, I wanted the Roundel key fob, just like the other tech-weenies (I am a proud card-carrying weenie), but damn if every time I went looking at a new 3 or 5 series, it always seemed I could get so much more car in an Audi (and the Audis were quattros). One of my colleagues got a 6-cylinder BMW with the Premium group for $54K. For a little less money, I got an S6, later a new 5 series "middle model" cost more than an A6 4.2. And the Audis -- at that time -- were still AWD which meant I became the car-pool guy on snowy days since my car was the only one that would go in the snow.

So, I (we) come at my/our "Audis are a bigger bang for the buck than the other cars in the broad premium class" honestly. That is why, for my wife and me, the Q8 -- even at $80K -- seemed like a value compared with anything else we felt we could get at that price point. The fact that we thought the Q8 was beautiful and "badass" at the same time and had all that great new tech and performance (I'm a tech weenie remember and my attorney wife grew up driving Pontiac GTOs with the Hurst shifter) sealed the deal. Again, the Q8 is the Cayenne (or whatever) Porsche wishes it had.

You may end up with a Q7 or an X5 or even one of the top spec Volvo's -- or even a Porsche. You will not get any push-back from me on making a decision that is not for an Audi. You may even go for the Urus if you have an additional $160K, and I will applaud your choice. We all have different motives and budgets. I can't make the case for an Escalade, for instance. I'd take a Q7 (or the upcoming Q9), but making the case for the Q8 -- since we were not looking for a "traditional" SUV -- was as easy as pie.

I remain, often wrong, but never uncertain.

AntS6

After driving my wife's 2019 X5 for the last two weeks and having my Q8 for 4 days I can say as of right now I prefer the X5. Her car had an MSRP $70,500 got 6.5% off plus mats. The seats are by far better than the Q8, the way the car sound is superior and the nav and basic radio are very good. To me the car drives better and is much simpler to get around to the different area's that we use every time we dive it. When you walk near the car the light come alive and standard pathway lights are really nice. I will continue to see if the Q8 becomes my favorite but for 10K less this is a great car. If I was to do it over I would go for the 2019 X5 50.i.

Right at this moment fairly disappointed in the quality of the Q8 sorry to say.

ven7782

You nailed the observation. Q8 is a great SUV, no doubt but how can it justify the 10K price difference? For me it did not and in terms of drive quality, the G05 was slightly better than the Q8.

TheTurtleBoy

I put my order in for an X5 yesterday afternoon. My wife and I were really impressed with the drive, quality and comfort. I really thought it would be an Audi for me but just wasn't in the cards this time around.

ven7782

Congratulations. You finally pulled the trigger. How much discount did you get?